Unbelievable Comeback Helps Cowboys Win in Double Overtime

Overcoming a 16-point second half deficit, the Wyoming Cowboys fought their way to a 91-86 double overtime victory at Colorado State Wednesday night.

It marked the third straight overtime game for the Pokes. They are now 6-0 in OT games this season, and the six they’ve played in is the most in the nation. The six wins in overtime is also a new NCAA Division I record.

Wyoming head coach Allen Edwards said it was another display of his team's resiliency in a release from the University of Wyoming.

“With five minutes left in the game, to find a way to get it to overtime and then to double overtime and come away with a win while you’ve got guys hopping and hobbling around but still showed the fortitude to fight through because of how much the team needed them is exciting. It’s a huge step, and we tried to tell our guys that even though they were missing two of their players, nothing changes. They’re still a physical team that loves to crash the offensive glass, and I just thought we fought. It was another game where we could go back to earlier in the season and say we’ve been through this before.”

Hayden Dalton scored 26 points to lead Wyoming to the victory. Justin James added 25 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double this season. Alan Herndon finished with 11 points, 12 rebounds, a career-best six assists and three blocks.

Wyoming (15-7, 6-3) won its fourth straight and has climbed to third in the Mountain West standings. They shot 41 percent from the floor and 38 from deep. They went 5-for-5 from beyond the arc in the last four minutes of regulation that aided in the comeback. Overall, UW made 14 three’s in the game.

Colorado State went on a 15-0 run after the Cowboys made the first basket of the game. UW trailed by 14, at 24-10, midway through the first half. A 22-6 run by the Pokes gave them a 32-30 lead at halftime. Herndon’s bucket and free throw after a foul put Wyoming ahead.

The Rams came out and took the lead right back at the start of the second half. They pushed it all the way to 62-46 with 5:31 left.

A 23-7 run by the Cowboys got them within one, at 70-69, on an Alexander Aka Gorski three. CSU went up three, but Wyoming tied it on Nyaires Redding’s three with 12 seconds left. That sent the game to overtime.

After five lead changes in the first overtime period, the game remained tied at 80-80. Both teams missed a three in the final 25 seconds that led to OT number two.

Dalton’s three-pointer at the 3:45 mark of the second overtime gave the Cowboys the lead for good. James went 6-8 at the line and had a key lay-up midway through the second OT that helped UW prevail in Fort Collins.

Wyoming snapped a three-game losing skid in the series.

Colorado State (10-14, 3-8) lost their fifth straight game. They were led by Deion James with a career-high 24 points. The Rams shot 39 percent from the field.

The Cowboys return home Saturday to face the Fresno State Bulldogs at noon in the Arena-Auditorium.